No. 14 Maryland women’s basketball had a day to remember on Sunday. It completed a dominant 99-66 win over Purdue — a fitting way to hold its Senior Day.
Here are three takeaways from Maryland’s win.
Seniors showed out
Maryland honored its three seniors on Sunday, and all had days to remember.
“You see the chemistry in our locker room of just how everyone wanted to play and was intentional playing for our seniors,” head coach Brenda Frese said. “
For Saylor Poffenbarger, Sunday was going to be a special day regardless.
She was honored by the team she grew up watching and had one of her best games of the season.
Poffenbarger fell just short of a double-double with 11 points, nine rebounds and four assists. She shot 3-of-6 from the field and 2-of-4 from deep.
The Middletown, Maryland, native looked more confident than she has in recent games — her on-court demeanor changed after the Ohio State contest, when she hit the game-sealing shot. Nevertheless, it was certainly an emotional day for her.
“Obviously, it’s anticipated, because it means so much to me,” Poffenbarger said. “Whenever you feel those emotions, it’s because it’s that important. And so just being able to do it alongside my teammates, alongside Mir and Yarden, was really special.”
Mir McLean was solid in her first start since Dec. 10. She had 11 points on 5-of-8 shooting and was a spark plug early on. The former UConn and Virginia guard set the tone on an afternoon where she was honored by her home state’s university.
Yarden Garzon didn’t have her best night in the scoring category, but she was solid elsewhere. She racked up six points and seven assists, and was a huge factor in facilitating Maryland’s explosive offensive performance.
The three seniors that were honored are also Maryland’s three captains.
“It’s always a really special day to be able to honor our seniors,” Frese said. “With all three, we wish we had more years with them, but just really grateful that they chose to come back and their careers here at Maryland.”
Five in a row
Things looked bleak for the Terps at the end of January. Then they played then-No. 12 Michigan State, carrying with them hopes of preventing their first five-game losing streak under Frese.
What has happened since Maryland’s loss to Oregon and its win over the Spartans has changed the course of this season.
“Definitely a mentality and we’re smart as a staff with how we teach and how we coach and practice,” Frese said about what has changed in the win streak. “The belief had to come inside the locker room, and the sisterhood is where this team has always been. They regrouped together and we reminded them of how special of a group they are.”
The team has had a relatively balanced scoring attack, and McLean’s improvement has been a big factor.
For much of the season, McLean was getting limited playing time. Despite being a big contributor late last season, she was getting buried deep in the rotation.
But over the course of the five-game winning streak, she has been an X-factor. She’s the bruiser that Maryland desperately needed, and her addition has made the team far more balanced.
“Mir, we need her energy, we need her fire. She’s always the one who’s getting us riled up,” Oluchi Okananwa said.
On Sunday, it was another example of how things have changed. Six Terps scored in double figures, and it wasn’t necessarily the likely suspects. Okananwa had a sensational scoring performance, leading the team with 26. On the other hand, Garzon was essentially left off the stat sheet. It didn’t matter; the Terps were dominant.
As it heads towards March, Maryland is playing like it’s built to make a deep run. That wasn’t the case a month ago.
“When you have depth like that, you’re kind of unstoppable,” Poffenbarger said. “We’re playing great team basketball. Everybody’s just been confident, waiting their turn and showing up when their name is called.”
Kyndal Walker’s career-high day
Redshirt freshman Kyndal Walker played like a veteran on Sunday. She posted a career-high, and very efficient, 18 points on 7-of-12 shooting, providing another example of her well-documented progression this season.
“Trusting myself, trusting my shot, my teammates believe in me,” Walker said. The biggest thing for me is belief.”
Her breakout has gifted the Terps some dynamic guard play, and it’s added an extra element on both sides of the floor.
She was also strong in the dirty areas on Sunday, corralling five rebounds, three steals and three steals.
“It’s just great team defense overall, we have a great team defensively,” Walker said. “It hasn’t been perfect always, but something we’ve been building on.”
If Walker continues playing this way, she could be a big reason Maryland goes far in March.
